Transport Analyst

East West Railway Company; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Pension (up to 12%)

Annual leave 36 days + buy extra days

Volunteer days

Life assurance (4x salary)

Employee Assistance Programme

Perkbox discounts & wellbeing benefits

Recognition programme

Learning & development opportunities

Job summary

East West Railway Company seeks an experienced economist / social researcher to lead the evaluation of a nationally significant infrastructure project. You will develop evaluation strategies, design surveys, and provide expert economic advice to inform decision-making and value for money.

Working with stakeholders across government and partners, you will drive benefits realisation, social value, and performance monitoring while ensuring alignment with HM Treasury Green Book and Magenta Book

Qualifications

• We are looking for an economist or social researcher with government/public sector or infrastructure experience.
• Experience leading or supporting economic evaluations for projects or programmes.
• Knowledge of benefits realisation and evaluation methodologies.
• Familiarity with HM Treasury Green Book and Magenta Book guidance.
• Strong analytical and communication skills; able to explain complex concepts clearly.

Responsibilities

• Lead the evaluation of East West Rail, providing evidence on impacts and value for money.
• Develop evaluation methodologies, survey design and analytic approaches.
• Manage delivery of complex evaluation work through external providers.
• Lead benefits management activities and monitor KPI frameworks.
• Drive social value and distributional impact assessment.
• Support business case development and align activities with Treasury guidance.

Skills

Economic evaluation

Benefits realisation

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Excel

PowerPoint

Written communication

Public sector experience

Tools

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Job description

East West Rail is a nationally significant railway project which aims to deliver much-needed transport connections for the vibrant communities between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. Together these communities contribute around £111 billion to the national economy each year.

EWR is being championed by the Government as a key driver to economic growth leading to a potential £78 Billion boost to the UK economy: supporting new towns, housing, and regeneration.

As the programme progresses, understanding and demonstrating its long-term impacts is critical to ensuring ongoing value for money and informing future public investment decisions.

We are seeking an experienced economist / social researcher to join our Analysis team and lead the evaluation of this nationally significant project.

The Opportunity

This is a high-profile role at the heart of East West Rail's analytical function. The successful candidate will provide expert economic advice and lead the development and delivery of the programme's evaluation strategy, ensuring that the social, economic, and wider impacts of the project are robustly measured and assessed.

Working closely with internal stakeholders, government departments, and external delivery partners, you will play a key role in shaping evidence-based decision making and ensuring lessons learned are captured to support both East West Rail and future government-funded programmes.

The post holder will also lead work relating to benefits realisation, social value, and performance monitoring, helping to demonstrate the programme's contribution to wider government objectives and ensuring continued value for the taxpayer.

What you'll be doing

The successful candidate will:

• Lead the evaluation of East West Rail, providing evidence on project impacts and ongoing value for money.
• Develop and shape evaluation methodologies, survey design, and analytical approaches, providing specialist advice to senior colleagues.
• Manage the delivery of complex evaluation activity through external providers, ensuring quality, value, and timely delivery.
• Lead benefits management activities, including the development and monitoring of key performance indicators and benefits realisation frameworks.
• Drive the organisation's approach to social value and distributional impact assessment.
• Support Programme Sponsors in the identification, management, and evaluation of social and economic impacts arising from East West Rail.
• Ensure alignment of evaluation and appraisal activities with HM Treasury Green Book and Magenta Book guidance.
• Contribute to the development of business cases, economic narratives, and strategic analytical outputs.
• Build effective working relationships with colleagues across East West Rail, government departments, delivery partners, and other stakeholders.

What you'll bring

We are looking for a highly motivated economist / social researcher with experience of delivering analytical work within a government, public sector, or major infrastructure environment.

You will be able to demonstrate:

• Experience of leading or supporting economic evaluations for major projects, programmes, or public investments.
• Experience of developing and implementing benefits realisation approaches.
• Knowledge of evaluation methodologies and survey design in complex delivery environments.
• Experience managing consultants or external analytical providers.
• Knowledge of HM Treasury's Magenta Book and wider government appraisal and evaluation frameworks.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to deliver high-quality outputs at pace.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex economic concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience of using Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint to support analysis and reporting.
• Experience working within the transport, infrastructure, or wider public sector environment.
• Knowledge of social value assessment and distributional analysis.
• Experience contributing to business case development in line with HM Treasury Green Book guidance.

Why Join Us?

This is a unique opportunity to influence a nationally significant infrastructure programme and contribute to the evidence base for future public investment decisions.

You will work alongside a diverse team of specialists, engage with senior stakeholders across government, and help ensure that the benefits of East West Rail are fully understood and realised for the communities it serves.

What we offer

• Competitive salary that reflects your skills and experience
• Up to 12% employer pension contribution to support your future
• 36 days annual leave (including bank holidays) plus the option to buy up to 2 extra days
• 2 volunteering days, a chance for you to give back to the community
• Enhanced family-friendly policies to support you and your loved ones
• Life assurance (4x your annual salary) for peace of mind
• Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support when you need it
• Access to Perkbox for a wide range of discounts and wellbeing benefits
• Recognition programme, including on-the-spot and annual awards
• Advanced learning and development opportunities to help you grow.

Diversity and Inclusion:

At East West Railway Company, we’re committed to building an inclusive railway for all. We believe that to do that, we must nurture a diverse team that represents the UK communities that we impact. Our approach is simple - to create an environment where everyone is welcome and able to be themselves. We celebrate diversity and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, encouraging applications from all backgrounds and experiences.